THE GOSPEL OF JOHN -- "Jesus, The One Prophesied"

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
“Jesus, The One Prophesied”
John 1:43-45
September 4, 2011

Charles Spurgeon once had this to say about the person who has come to Christ. “The day in which a man comes to Christ is …. a wonderful day in its effect upon all his future….His future will never be what his past was. There ….will never be the old love of sin any more….The cross of Christ has broken its back, and broken its neck, too, and die it must. Henceforth the man is bound for holiness, and bound for heaven." So it was with our next study -- Philip. Let’s read our text verses. Let’s consider 3 things about Philip’ salvation. First there was:

HIS EXPERIENCE -- John 1:43-44 “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.”

Philip’s discovery and witness of Jesus Christ was unmistakable. Jesus was the One prophesied in Scripture; the promised Messiah. And Philip’s salvation experience involved 3 things. First of all:

JESUS LOOKED FOR PHILIP -- Jesus went looking for Philip – Philip wasn’t looking for Jesus. The initiative was that of the Lord Jesus to save Philip.

Jesus went a long way to find Philip and His ministry now moves to Galilee.
Luke 4:14 states “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country….” In fact, a good portion of Christ’s ministry would take place in this region.

In order to reach a person, Christ will go any distance, to any place, to any person regardless of how bad their sin, how hopeless or helpless they are, no matter how guilty they are. Jesus will reach out to that person to be sure that they have the opportunity to turn to God and repent of their sins. He may go to them through another person, or a thought, or a memory of a time gone by, or through a sermon or Sunday school lesson, or just seeing the Lord through nature.

BUT, every person must pay attention to the seeking of Jesus Christ and respond immediately. God’s Spirit will not strive or contend with man forever. Even if the decision to come to Christ is put off for an hour or two, the pulling of the Holy Spirit can fade and even leave completely. God calls, but we must respond.

Every Christian here this morning should be willing to go any length to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many in our world that are considered untouchable – the alcoholic, the drug addict, the immoral, the poor, the diseased, the prisoners – but Jesus died for them that they might not perish but have everlasting life. Don’t ever think that anyone is beyond salvation. The second thing to see here is that:

JESUS HIMSELF CALLED PHILIP -- When Christ found Philip, He said, “Follow me.” Notice that it doesn’t say "And He finds Philip and Philip believed in Him." No. He said, "Follow Me." Now this is the divine dimension of salvation -- the seeking Savior. He walked over to Philip and said, "Philip, follow Me." It doesn't record Philip's response. Jesus simply said, "Philip, you have been chosen by God, follow Me."

The Greek word for “follow” is “akolouthei” which means to become a close companion, a close follower or disciple. It carries the meaning of union and likeness. When we say that we are following Jesus, it means that we are cleaving to Him, we are united to Him, in close union with Him.

Jesus chose Philip – not the other way around. We need to be reminded what Jesus said to us in John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit….”

Romans 8:29 tells us that God’s plan for you is for you to be like Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The 3rd point about Philip’s experience is that:

HE KNEW ANDREW AND PETER -- Philip came from Bethsaida which is where Andrew and Peter came from. Jesus carried on a substantial ministry in this area. It was a city that was denounced by Jesus because of its rejection of Him. Matthew 11:21 states, “ ….Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

It’s apparent that Philip longed for the Messiah as you consider his words in Vs 45 where he states that “they have found the one Moses wrote about.”

In his desire for the Messiah, he sought out those who were like minded. He wanted Godly deliverance and fellowship. In that process he met Andrew and Peter. Philip had put himself in a place where the message of the gospel could reach him when it came to him. He was a seeking soul. Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." That was Philip’s experience. Now, let’s consider:

HIS FIRST CONCERN -- John 1:45 “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’”

The first concern of Philip was to find his friend Nathanael. Philip’s action leaves no doubt that he found the Messiah that Moses wrote about. Philip was a student of God’s Word. In his mind, Jesus met the criteria of being the Word of God. The point to be made is that the Word of God must be the anchor of all that we believe. If it isn’t then what is that anchor?

Too many Christians base what they believe on what they’ve been told by someone or because it’s what their church believes. But when we stand before God, it won’t matter what somebody else has told us, but what the Word of God tells us. That, alone is the basis for God’s judgment.

Jesus challenged Philip to follow Him – to become like Him and Philip did just that. How are YOU doing with that? Philip went out and did just what Jesus had done to him. Following the example of Christ, Philip goes and finds his friend, Nathanael. Philip became a soul winner. That’s what Christ wants for every Christian – to be a soul winner. Jesus wants us to speak to others what we believe. 2 Corinthians 4:13 states, “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak,…”

Philip had the conviction that Jesus was the One that Moses had prophesied about in the Law and who the Prophets also wrote about – the Messiah. Philip was joyful in his discovery of Jesus. Jesus had met the need in Philip’s heart and he was rejoicing. That’s what happens when a person comes to Christ.

Isaiah 12:2-3says, “I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

CALL --- That joy, that fearlessness, that strength, that salvation is available to you but only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, through the cross of Calvary. Will you respond to God’s call to you this morning and ask Jesus into your life, receive His forgiveness for all of your sins and leave here with a new life?

Folks, it’s safe to say that the cross of Calvary is the only thing that stands between mankind and an eternity in hell forever separated from the love and presence of God. The only thing that stands between the church and total apostasy is the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. God’s plan for our salvation was in His mind before the world ever came into being and that plan is in His Word for our direction.

Every Christian here this morning must be willing to go any length to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many in our world that are considered untouchable – the alcoholic, the drug addict, the immoral, the poor, the diseased, the prisoners – but Jesus died for them that they might not perish but have everlasting life. God’s question to us this church this morning is, we will do as Jesus did to Philip and seek the lost? To do that we need a great to go to the lost no matter who they are or where they are or what they’ve done. And we need more of the Holy Spirit so that we can do that work. Let’s come and pray and seek for that very power through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Father, give us an ever increasing desire to follow the example of Jesus and seek out the lost. Grant us a fresh anointing and infilling power of the Holy Spirit so that we can witness for Christ in an effective way. Stir us, O Lord, to let the light and joy of the Lord Jesus shine through us so that others will be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.